Blackledge River Reflection

Gay City State Park, Hebron, CT

Although it looks like little more than a small stream this is part of the Blackledge River which flows for about 16 miles from Manchester, CT through Gay City State Park eventually meeting up with the Salmon River near North Westchester, CT.  At one time the river must have supplied power for the mill here, which was featured in a previous post.  Today the calm waters made for a nice reflection on this autumn day.  If you like this reflection, there are many more at Weekend Reflections.  Enjoy the weekend and thanks for visiting.

Old Mill Site Chute

Gay City State Park, Hebron, CT

This is the scene from atop the remaining walls of the old mill, showing a chute which runs from the mill to a small nearby stream.  I wonder what this place looked like back in the early 1800's.  

Old Mill Site

 It took me a little while to find this old mill site in Gay City State Park, but after walking along a number of trails, and consulting a couple of maps, I was able to find all that's left of the mill built here in the late 1700's to early 1800's.  The religious sect who settled this area built a mill drawing power from the Blackledge River.  During the war of 1812 the woolen mill fell on economic hard times due to numerous blockades.  After the mill was revived, it burned to the ground in 1830, further leading to the decline of what little prosperity there was in Gay City.

 A paper mill built here helped to revive the small community somewhat up until the time of the Civil War.  Gay City lost a number of their younger men in the war, and shortly there after, that mill also burned which ultimately lead to the demise of Gay City.  People left here for jobs in the nearby big cities and the homes here were abandoned and left to the elements.

In 1943, one of the last descendants of the people who lived here sold the land to the state of Connecticut with the stipulation that it be called "Gay City".  It became a a state park one year later. 

Sources:  http://www.damnedct.com/gay-city-hebron/

               http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_City_State_Park

               http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=325202

                

Quartz

Gay City State Park, Hebron, CT

This little boulder stood out amongst the grass and fallen leaves.  It almost looked like ice and is quite different from the gray gneiss and schist that make up the majority of the rocks and boulders seen in this part of the state.

Stone Walls

Gay City State Park, Hebron, CT

Stone walls are ubiquitous in southeast Connecticut so it was no surprise to see a number of them while hiking though Gay City State Park.   The walls last forever, it seems.  

Gay City State Park Pond

Gay City State Park

I could find no name for this pond located in Gay City State Park.  I think it's man-made, but I'm not sure.  the Blackledge River flows through the park and into this pond.  The river provided power for a saw mill built back in the early 1800's.  Today the pond offers visitors a nice beach and a place to swim on hot summer days.  On this particular day, I was able to catch this reflection, which I'm linking to Weekend Reflections.  Enjoy your weekend and thanks for visiting. 

Happy Halloween

Gay City State Park

Graveyards around Halloween seem just a little bit spookier, even in broad daylight.  This small cemetery is one of the few reminders that there was once a community in what is now Gay City State Park.  The upper headstone marks the grave of Rev Henry P Sumner, one of the founders of his community and it's religious leader.  The lower picture is the grave of Matilda, Henry's daughter.  At one time the small religious sect that settled in this area in 1796, reached a  total 25 families, the majority of which had "Gay" as their surname.  The area was originally known as Factory Hollow and in keeping with the spirit of Halloween, the place has been reported as being haunted.  But one can say that of just about any place here in New England.  Happy Halloween.

White Trail at Gay City State Park

Gay City State Park

Autumn is slipping away, and I think the fall colors have reached their peak here in southeast Connecticut.  Before all the colors were gone I was able to get out for a nice hike in one of our fine state parks.  I had not been to Gay City State Park, and was looking forward to finding the ruins of an old mill and some other structures, that were left here when this area was once a thriving community.  I found the trails there well marked and the hiking was pretty easy.  I'll have some more pictures and some history as well, about this state park in future posts this week.